The present invention relates to the field of plumbing and heating and, in particular, to a flange for connection to a water circulator or pump and to a piping system utilizing the same.
Flanges are typically used to connect pumps or flow controlling devices to a pipe, or to connect a pipe to another pipe directly. Connections of this type are used extensively in the plumbing and heating industry, especially with steel or copper pipes.
Flanges are secured to pipe ends by means of interior flange threads rotated to attach to the exterior pipe threads. The force required to attach the flange to the pipe is substantial and a typical flange will not have a shoulder that is used that is designed to serve as a gripping surface for tightening the flange. The absence of this shoulder necessitates the use of a large pipe wrench to attach the flange to the exterior pipe threads. As the surrounding free space is usually obstructed and quite small, it is often difficult for a user to maneuver the wrench. In addition, the size and shape of the gripping surface may also vary as the flange is turned onto the pipe, thus necessitating the use of more than one wrench. For these reasons, pipe flanges are well known as fittings that present a fastening problem.
One particularly common problem is encountered when attaching pipe flanges to pipe ends for connection to circulators, such as those utilized in home heating systems. These flanges are typically elliptical in shape and do not readily accommodate a standard pipe wrench or other tightening device. In addition, when the elliptical ends of the flange have turned within the 180 degrees tightening arc, the wrench must be readjusted, necessitating many fatiguing and time consuming iterations to complete the task. Moreover, as the size of a pipe wrench increases, the length of the handle increases proportionally. As pipe flanges must often be attached to a circulator that is extremely close to a wall, other pipes, or even worse, a corner, the use of a long handled pipe wrench or a pry-bar and long stove bolts to attach the flange to the pipe makes this job a tiring and time consuming one.
One solution to this problem is disclosed in the inventor""s co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/897,741, titled FLANGE TIGHTENING TOOL. This application discloses a flange tightening tool for use in securing a standard flange to a pipe. The tool has a base plate, a tightening hexagonal shoulder, two attachment openings, and a rotating handle perpendicular to the tightening base plate. The base plate and openings are dimensioned to mate with the flange to be tightened and the rotatable handle is attached to hexagonal shoulder and can be used to position the tool against the flange. In operation, the user positions the tool against the flange, attaches the tool to the flange by inserting bolts through the openings in the base plate, and attaches the flange to the pipe by gripping and rotating the hexagonal shoulder with an appropriately sized box or adjustable type wrench.
The inventor""s co-pending application has many advantages over the current flange tightening methods. It eliminates the gripping problems associated with standard pipe flanges by gripping the flange at the mating surface rather than the shoulder. In addition, box or adjustable wrenches having appropriately sized handles may be utilized rather than the long handles associated with larger sized pipe wrenches. Despite these advantages, this solution has not gained acceptance due to the cost of the tool and the reluctance of installers to adapt their methods to new technologies.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for attaching a pipe flange to a pipe that may be utilized to install the flange adjacent to an existing circulator or other device, that may be utilized in close quarters, and that allows an installer to utilize a standard open end or adjustable wrench, and that does not require an installer to purchase a new tool or to alter accepted installation methods.
The present invention is a threaded pipe flange and piping system utilizing the same. In its most basic embodiment, the threaded pipe flange includes a base portion having a predetermined shape and at least two openings dimensioned to accept at least two mounting bolts. A shoulder portion extends from the base portion and includes at least two substantially flat gripping surfaces that allow the flange to be attached using an open end wrench, adjustable wrench or pipe wrench. A threaded opening extends through the base portion and the shoulder portion and is sized to mate with the threaded pipe to which the flange is to be attached. In operation, the pipe flange is attached to the predetermined threaded pipe by aligning the threaded opening with the predetermined threaded pipe, gripping the gripping surfaces of the shoulder portion, and rotating the pipe flange until the flange is tight.
The pipe flange may have any number of gripping surfaces, though it is preferred that it have between four and eight gripping surfaces. The preferred pipe flange is elliptical in shape and is made from malleable iron, though other shapes and materials, including ductile iron, steel or brass, may also be utilized depending upon the application in which the flange will be utilized.
In its most basic embodiment, the piping system of the present invention includes at least one threaded pipe, a pipe flange as described above, a pair of mounting bolts and a circulator or other pump. The circulator is made up of a pump portion and a volute portion through which the fluid is pumped. The volute portion includes at least one volute flange that is dimensioned to mate with the pipe flange. In some embodiments, the volute flange includes a substantially flat mounting surface, while in others the mounting surface includes a recessed portion that is dimensioned to accept a circular gasket.
In this system, the pipe flange is attached to the threaded pipe by aligning the threaded opening with the predetermined threaded pipe, gripping the gripping surfaces of the shoulder portion, and rotating the pipe flange. The pipe flange is attached to the circulator by aligning the pipe flange openings with the volute flange openings and disposing and securing the bolts through the pipe flange and the volute flange such that the pipe flange and the circulator are tightened together.
The piping system may include a gasket disposed between the pipe flange and the volute flange, with the preferred system having a recess in mounting surface of the volute flange to accept a round gasket. However, in some embodiments, traditional gaskets that are dimensioned to have the same footprint as the pipe flange are utilized, while in still others, other known sealing methods are employed.
Therefore, it is an aspect of the invention to provide a pipe flange that may be utilized to install a flange adjacent to an existing circulator or other device.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a pipe flange that may be easily installed in close quarters.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a pipe flange that allows an installer to utilize a standard open end wrench or adjustable wrench during installation.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a pipe flange that does not require a special tool to install and does not require installers to depart from accepted installation methods.
It is a still further aspect of the invention to provide a piping system in which a pipe flange may be easily attached to a circulator regardless of the location of the circulator in relation to walls, pipes or other devices.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.